


Clarity

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Category: Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, 牧場物語つながる新天地 | Story of Seasons
Genre: Angst, F/M, Love Triangle, Ludus - Freeform, M/M, Romance, Unrequited Love?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 21:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: First 'Trio of Towns' piece. Elena of Happybell Farms has been leading a peaceful, happy life with her brother Bradley. Farming, making friends with the wonderful townsfolk, and bearing the biggest crush on Doctor Ford has all made for some pretty awesome adventures-but she finds out she's been completely oblivious to a very precious friend's feelings.





	Clarity

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thank you for visiting my Trio of Towns piece. I'm really happy you're here!
> 
> I unfortunately can't afford the game now, so I spend whatever time I can watching 'Trio of Towns' playthroughs on YouTube. Finding playlists of the bachelors' love events is an awesome adventure all on its own. I initially wasn't very fond of Ludus but sense he gets the short end of the stick from many people, so after watching his events yesterday, I decided to give him a chance. :) I decided to write this particular piece because I feel bad watching playthroughs in which all of the bachelors are in love with the protagonist.
> 
> This is a ficlet based on the following headcanons: female protagonist Elena has a puppy crush on Doctor Ford, all the while building a strong friendship with Ludus. Her brother's in a happy, solid relationship with Wayne.

"I know you've got your eyes on someone else, and I don't want to make things awkward between the two of you or anything, but...I don't know what else to do. I can't make this go away, Elena. You mean everything to me."

She wasn't just frozen. She had become a part of the earth's fabric, a root frozen by a wave of discoveries. The evening winds continued painting their world in a gentle, ethereal glow while she gazed upon him, at a complete and utter loss for words, mind spinning with the memories they shared. The tears, laughter and joy that she'd cherish even after the Harvest Goddess chose to end their stories. 

Only a few inches in front of her, Ludus stood with his head downwards, arms folded. A clear sign of anxiousness. A show of fear towards possibilities he'd rather not face. The need to erase every last bit of his pain was so powerful, a knife being driven into her would've felt like a papercut. Which led her to hating herself because how could she have missed it? Why didn't she see it? Didn't that make her just as guilty as everyone else when it came to taking advantage of him? When it came to relying on him for everything, for seeing him as nothing but a big brother?

Too bad Ludus didn't have an incinerator. Something she could jump into.

From the moment she and her brother arrived, he had been nothing but a wonderful friend. He offered to build resources for their farm, all the while making sure their new animal friends were comfortable. With a pretty good knack for giving animals a reason to wear smiles brighter than the moon, Ludus created a home for the chickens and dogs royalty would be proud of. Her brother, Bradley, took a shine to him just as easily as fish take a shine to water-and her brother was a pretty hard nut to crack. The same definitely applied to Ludus, but even though it took a short while to pry the truth from its shell, it was definitely worth the effort. In what seemed like just a few short moments, both of them were introduced to a warm, energetic, creative, selfless spirit they'd always hold close.

She saw him more often than Bradley did, as a particularly precious part of her brother's life lived much closer to home. Ludus had become a sacred part of their lives nonetheless, really no different from air. Every memory he gave her brought a smile to her face, one of her favorites being the time she heard him scolding her for trying to pull a tiny creature out of a tree, she jumped out of said tree with the creature and he caught her-still scolding her. 

Which was why seeing him so upset really made her wish he had an incinerator nearby.

The twins were listening. They all were. They always did whenever she and Ludus were alone. It bothered him but she knew they meant no harm-all they wanted was their big brother's happiness. Ludus was like a chick with ruffled feathers anyway whenever they messed around. The twins poking him over his pink aura-priceless. 

What color was his aura at that moment? Gray? Black? Whatever it was, it was definitely all her fault.

A member of Ludus' hidden fan group muttered 'pick him'. Definitely Schalk-he exhausted every opportunity to make sure Elena and Ludus had just the right amount of quality time together. "Sorry about that," the village's big brother frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, already-red cheeks doused in even more red. "No matter how many times I tell them to cut it out, they find a way to butt in anyway."

Elena's voice was gentle, compassionate. "Don't worry about it. They just want you to be happy. I do too, even though I'm not giving you any reason to be happy now."

Ludus was instantly taken aback. "That's not true! It's because of you I start every day with a smile! I...I love you!" And it was at that point she mentally slapped herself. Ludus making such a declaration was a huge step for him-no, more like a leap. A leap across the tallest mountain.

Her smile became sad. "But I can't say the same thing back yet. I love you, very, very much, but...but I don't know if it's the way you deserve to be loved."

She cupped his face, brushing his hair from it all the while. She loved tugging on his braid but that night was definitely not the night for teasing. She absorbed everything about him as though he had become the only life-giving source on earth-the air falling in and out of his chest, his fragile emotions, the way he smelled like earth and cedar and love. Sure, she had been blissfully chasing after Ford the last couple of weeks, fawning over him the way she gushed over her sixth grade teacher back in the city, but how? How could she have missed it?

She had spent so much time with Ludus the last couple of weeks, but in the end, spent the entire time being completely and utterly blind.

She laid her head against his chest, encasing him in a gentle hug. He returned the hug, slowly, uncertain, as though she were a rare creature he could easily frighten. Tears began to fall from her eyes and he thought they were because of him-and they were. Just not in the way he feared. They fell because Ludus was Ludus-beautiful, warm, noble, kind, amazing Ludus. "This is going to be really weird," she told him, voice hoarse, strained by tears. She lifted her head so their eyes could meet.

"But everything's already weird, so I'm just gonna come right out with it. Can I do something? To you?"

The biggest question mark crash landed on the craftsman's face, reminding her Ludus could be just as adorable as her brother's boyfriend. Wayne may have conquered the universe when it came to being adorable, but he had some pretty rough competition. "It won't be a 'bad' something," she added, her cheeks as pink as peonies. "Well, I guess you could kinda say it's a 'bad' something, but it'll help me make a decision. And I really wanna make a decision fast because I'm not being fair to you. Not TOO fast, because then I'll still end up being a really big jerk, but you know. I don't want to keep you waiting any longer than you already have. So can I do it? You know, the thing?"

Ludus was torn between laughing or complete helplessness. "Sure, I guess."

"Okay, great. Close your eyes."

"Are you going to slap me or something?"

"I'd rather die than do something like that," Elena instantly replied, as though he had just suggested she burn down his workshop. "Why would you ask something like that, anyway?"

"Dunno. Guess it's because I've been nothing but an idiot tonight. Figured I'd deserve it."

Anger pricked her spirit like a thousand needles, as it usually did whenever the artisan short-changed himself. "Well, bub, you're in for a pretty big surprise."

He felt as though she had left him suspended in mid-air, heart racing quicker than the speed of light, but it was in mere moments his heartbeat elevated to a much greater pace. Fire and the gentle rays of moonshine ran through him the moment her lips fell against his, her entire body pulsing with love and the need to give him that love. It was for a moment in time nothing existed, save for her falling and rising chest, the sound of her lips draping love across his. And it was in that moment he wanted to stay, wishing she didn't have to go home. Wishing she didn't have to return to a world in which he didn't live.

She broke their first kiss, leaving him with the feeling of falling off a cliff, but she laid her forehead against his with: "Well, that settles it," she said, playing with his hair.

"What?"

"I can't tell you 'let's just stay friends'."


End file.
